Everything is bigger and better at the U.S. Open, and that includes the maintenance staff that has Pebble Beach Golf Links sparkling in the sun.
In recent days, what could be called a "Super Army" has descended on the storied course.
Unlike the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where Chris Dalhamer relies on his usual staff of 36, the Pebble Beach superintendent is being assisted by a grounds-crew army of up to 100. The team now includes volunteer superintendents and assistant superintendents from around the world, some from as far away as Japan and Australia.
For the 38-year-old Dalhamer, who is the host superintendent at the U.S. Open for the first time in his career, the extra help is not just a huge relief, but necessary to keep the course in pristine championship condition.
"To do all the details we want to do, it takes a lot of time," said Dalhamer, who has been a U.S. Open course maintenance volunteer himself, helping at Torrey Pines in 2008 and Shinnecock Hills in 2004. "You kind of have to throw the whole kitchen sink at it."
